By Reid Urban
Looks like the stand-off between restricted free agent defenseman Shea Theodore and the Vegas Golden Knights looks to be over.
Late last night, both sides ended the stand-off by agreeing to a seven-year contract extension worth $36.4 million. It is only a flat structure contract with no salary fluctuation or bonuses, meaning that he will not be guaranteed any money. However, there is a modified No-Trade Clause in the final two years.
Theodore now looks to be set to join the Golden Knights at training camp and is expected to be ready for the regular season.
The annual value for the new contract is $5.2 million, which is lower than Theodore would like. He was hoping for an annual salary close to what Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets or Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers have. However, those deals only carried two years each while Theodore gets a long-term deal in Vegas.
A while ago, we would’ve thought that the Golden Knights and Theodore would part ways at one point over this standoff, so this move comes as a bit of a surprise. However, with Theodore finally in camp for the Golden Knights, it’s just another big piece that the Golden Knights wanted to keep in order to make another run towards the Stanley Cup.
